Monday, 30 May 2016

Google iO 2016

The Google developers conference held in May had some exciting announcements. The major item announced was Google Home which Google describes as:

Google Home is a voice-activated home product that allows you and your family to get answers from Google, stream music, and manage everyday tasks.

It takes what the Amazon Echo, Siri or Cortana can do, and extends the functionality of “Ok Google” almost in to the realms of science fiction. If you have ever watched the film “Her”, besides the idiotic adult themes in the movie, the rest of what the AI can do sounds very much like Google Home.

If you want to sign up to be notified of developments in Google Home, use the following link:

Purchase’s to Add to My Connected Home

In the month of May 2016, I purchased several gadgets to extend my Connected Home a bit more. In particular, I wanted to play with a device that has Home Kit enabled so that I could check its state using Siri, so I decided to purchase the Elgato Room and weather sensors.

Withings Body Analyser and Scales

Flat screen scales which gives you visually on it’s screen your weight, Body Mass Index (BMI), and heart beat. Whilst this part of the scales is not accessible, the app which gets data from the scales is mostly accessible: i.e. the Withings app which can be used on iOS or Android: Health Mate.

Withings Blood Pressure Monitor

After setup, just put the Blood Pressure cuff around your arm, press start on the Withings app, and receive your blood pressure in less than 1 minute. Easy to put the device on and use.

Elgato Room and Weather Sensors

Relatively easy to setup and use with the Eve app.

The sensors are Home Kit enabled so that you can ask Siri to get the current indoor or outdoor temperature and humidity.

Whilst they work, I find using them with Siri is very sluggish, Siri sometimes gets confused about what you said and does a web search instead. The indoor and outdoor sensors don’t seem to be as accurate as other weather sensors I have tried.

I’d recommend my Netatmo Urban Weather Station for two main reasons over Elgato Eve: the Netatmo Urban Station is Wi-Fi based and secondly can be used on iOs or Android, not tied to Home Kit.

VA Connect for Android and iOS Podcasts

A basic introduction to the Vision Australia Connect apps for Android and iOS to access the Vision Australia I-Access service.

VA Connect iOS demo:

VoiceView Preview Now Available for Amazon Fire TV

Just note, as far as I know, you can’t officially use Fire TV in Australia.

Are is some info from Amazon past on to me re the Fire TV and their new screen reader.

Today, we’re announcing that we are bring our VoiceView screen reader to Amazon Fire TV. Rolling out today and over this week via a free over-the-air software update to Fire TV customers, this Preview edition of our VoiceView screen reader is part of a larger initiative we’re working on to make Fire TV more accessible to our visual impaired customers.

The VoiceView Preview works by reading on-screen text out loud as you navigate Amazon Video content, menus, and settings on your Fire TV. VoiceView provides enhanced navigation to on-screen content, presenting the rich interface in a fashion that doesn’t depending on the visual layout. You can use the keys on your remote's directional key pad to highlight and hear all available text and information on-screen.

You can turn on VoiceView by holding down the "Back" and "Menu" buttons on your Fire TV remote at the same time for two seconds. The “Back” and “Menu” buttons are the left and right buttons in the top row of three small buttons. You will hear "VoiceView Ready" when the feature is enabled and ready to use. The first time you start VoiceView, you will be invited to take a tutorial teaching you the VoiceView commands, as well as helping you learn all of the buttons on your remote. Also, the first time you encounter significant screens in the Fire TV interface, you will receive a description of that screen, which you can hear again by pressing the Menu button.

Here are some ways to use VoiceView:

·Playback Controls – If you press a playback control button (Play/Pause, Rewind/Skip Back, Fast-Forward/Skip Forward) on your remote while an Amazon Video title is playing, VoiceView will tell you which button you've selected.

Global Accessibility Awareness Day May 19 2016

Join the Global Accessibility Day on Thursday, May 19 2016 and mark the fifth Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). The purpose of GAAD is to get people talking, thinking and learning about digital (web, software, mobile, etc.)

The target audience of GAAD is the design, development, usability, and related communities who build, shape, fund and influence technology and its use. While people may be interested in the topic of making technology accessible and usable by persons with disabilities, the reality is that they often do not know how or where to start. Awareness comes first

Go to Vision Australia’s webpage to find out what we are doing or look at the official Global Accessibility Awareness Day page:

Vision Australia

Global Accessibility Awareness Day

More Equipment News from Vision Australia

Vision Australia Equipment Solutions will soon be selling over the next few Months Android phones that can come pre-installed with the Synapptic software that I talked on the program previously, and most exciting of all, Vision Australia will be selling a simple to use large print button mobile phone.

The large print button phone should be available sometime in June.

Apple Online Store now with it’s Own Accessibility Category

Apple is now selling through it’s online store a number of products including items for AbleNet, Humanware (Braille displays), and the Skoog tactile music maker.

The Ballyland Magic App for Teaching 6 to 8 Year Olds How to Use VoiceOver Gestures

Interesting concept for teaching young children how to use VoiceOver gestures: 1 finger flick left and right, 1 finger double tap and 3 finger flick left or right: by getting a number of characters to rehearse and put on a magic show.

Automatic alt-text for photos is now available on Android for Facebook

Now you can have the benefit of finding out what a photo “may contain on both iOS and Android for photos. Just use the Facebook app and it’ll appear in your time line.

Dropbox is Testing Place Holders for Online storage

Rather than having your files locally via Dropbox, you will just have a place marker which will allow you to access the folder/file from the could directly without taking up valuable storage space on your hard drive. Still being tested.

A group of research’s developed an app to navigate a smart phone screen via Google Glass and hand movements.

The app, developed primarily for the visually impaired, projects a magnified image of the screen to the Google Glass display. Images are sent using Bluetooth, and the user can interact with them by tapping on the stem of the Google Glass device.